Film Review
Anyone who had previously seen Jean Becker's 1961 film
Un nommé la Rocca could be forgiven for having a strong sense of déjà
vu when watching this film.
La Scoumoune is effectively a re-make of that film,
which itself was based on José Giovanni's own novel
L'Excommunié.
The impression of familiarity is compounded by having acting legend Jean-Paul Belmondo playing
the same lead character in both films.
The writer-director José Giovanni rated
L'Excommunié as one of his favourite works, and an obvious
subject for screen adaptation when he became a film director. He was probably also
motivated by his frustration with Jean Becker's earlier adaptation of his novel.
Un nommé la Rocca suffered greatly because of intervention from the producer,
who wanted to tone down the violence and supposedly immoral tone in Giovanni's novel. The result
was a pretty bland gangster film, which satisfied neither Giovanni nor the film's star,
Belmondo.
La Scoumoune (which translates as 'bad luck') was Giovanni's attempt to set the record straight
and tell his story in the way he had intended. In contrast to the sanitised earlier
adaptation,
La Scoumoune is far more explicit in its depiction of death and violence,
one of the things which makes this the better of the two films.
It is also technically a better film, with strong visuals and more impactful
photography. There is a greater sense of drama in the prison
and mine-clearing scenes towards the end of the film, and
whilst Giovanni's direction is not without its flaws, its clumsy
boldness is preferable to Becker's insipid restraint. The action scenes
are also far more violent, no doubt influenced by the new wave of American thrillers
of the period.
When this film was made, its lead actor Jean-Paul Belmondo was just beginning
to come to grips with international stardom after the success of such films as
L'homme de Rio and
Borsalino. It would be unfair to say
that success went to the actor's head but his screen performances from the early 1970s
on tended to lack the reality of earlier years as Belmondo the actor gave way
to Belmondo the superstar. This is the one virtue that Becker's film has
over Giovanni's glossy remake - Belmondo's character is somewhat more believable.
Although
La Scoumoune attracted an audience of nearly two million in France,
it was somewhat less successful than other Belmondo vehicles of this time,
which frequently ranged from three to five million.
© James Travers 1999
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next José Giovanni film:
Deux hommes dans la ville (1973)
Film Synopsis
In the mid-1930s, contract killer Roberto Borgo leaves Sicily and heads for
Marseille, coming to the aid of his old friend Xavier Saratov, who has just
been arrested for murder. After finding the gang of crooks who were
responsible for Xavier's arrest, Roberto quickly disposes of their leader
and, taking his place as 'La Scoumoune' (the 'Jinxed One'), he coerces them
into supplying the necessary funds to pay for his friend's legal defence.
His efforts are in vain. Found guilty of murder Xavier is sentenced
to twenty years of hard labour.
Roberto refuses to be beaten and plans an audacious attempt to free Xavier
from prison. As he does so, he takes care of his friend's sister Georgia
and places her in charge of a brothel. It is through Georgia that Roberto
learns that a gang of American racketeers are moving in on his patch.
With Roberto refusing to yield his territory a bloody shoot-out is inevitable.
Although he survives the fierce exchange of bullets, Roberto is arrested
and ends up in the same prison as Xavier. As war breaks out between
France and Germany the two men offer to enlist in the French army but are
turned down. Two subsequent escape attempts end in dismal failure.
It is after the Liberation that Roberto and Xavier are offered a pardon,
if they agree to help defuse German bombs on the beach. Their freedom
bought at a high price, the two men then find work as heavies for a nightclub
owner in Paris. They soon grow tired of their new life and plan to retire
to Normandy once they have scraped together enough cash. Unfortunately,
the man they attempt to defraud does not have a forgiving nature. After
his friend has been brutally gunned down, Roberto has just one thought in
his head: revenge...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.